A PROFESSOR from the Kagawaran ng Filipino of the Ateneo de Manila University swept five major awards in the recently concluded 7th Urduja Heritage Film Awards.

Directed by Associate Professor Alivin Yapan, “Culion” won the Best Heritage Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director awards.

Set in the 1940s when there was no known cure for leprosy, “Culion” is a historical drama that narrates the story of three women and how the disease affected them and everyone in the “leper colony.”

“There were so many reasons to say yes to this film. First of all, in my more than ten years in the industry, this was my first time to direct a film I did not write,” Yapan said.

“And this was also my first time to direct something written by no less than Ricky Lee. Of course, there was the added pressure of giving justice to the material he wrote,” he added.

Yapan said that “Culion” is an advocacy film that started when the producers Peter and Gilie Sing visited the island and were moved by what they saw in the Culion Museum and Archives.

“This project started when we really wanted to address the stigma surrounding leprosy,” Yapan explained. “We also wanted to stay true to the history of Culion so we really researched every last detail — from the architecture back then, to what people wore and how they spoke.”

Since the jury is composed of fellow educators like him, Yapan said that the recognition is “truly an honor” for the team.

“This award is a boost to the project but in the end, the challenge is how to make films like this more accessible. Participating in the Metro Manila Film Festival helped us reach the widest local audience. But given the lockdown that we are all experiencing, the challenge is in how to distribute our films to a wider audience,” he said.

Yapan’s first solo feature-length film, “Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe”,  won Best Picture at the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival in 2009. His films “Ang Kubo sa Kawayanan”, and “Edsa” also won back-to-back for Best Picture in 2015 and 2016 at the World Premieres Film Festival.

His writings had also been recognized numerous times by the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.